Chapter 2: Escape and Confinement
krvLH“Ugh…”5XM
4Tsw95jI got up as best I could.2ssE
1qxhGMy whole body ached from the impact of the fall. Every time I moved, sharp stabs and cramps shot through my muscles.vTZsM
fY9tIt felt like I had broken one or two bones.p8Ht
kloAFEbUnder normal circumstances, I would have stayed lying on the floor, groaning in pain. But my survival instinct was the only thing that kept me moving.PEx4xJ
ACwThe guard was watching me through the window. He was still there, stiff as a log, not moving.i6noKH4
FtJTy‘Can’t even he come into the classroom?’I1KcSWM
PAeuhSoon after, the guard approached the front door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.e7hL
e5ybWithout hesitation, he inserted it into the padlock.OGO2H
DEGrSClack.MfQbi
gPnGThe door, which had been firmly locked until now, opened with ease.iEXC
lcilTL‘Shit.’XD4Wy
Nj5JaRvThe guard entered the classroom without the slightest obstacle. His eyes still looked empty, unfocused.oIuOWj
TSW399iBut then, suddenly, his pupils came to life and his eyes opened wide. He started trembling in place like a lunatic.Q109
GnL19I was horrified to see his arm bend backward at a 180-degree angle.vxgL69
uF8cLike a puppet with twisted joints, he began contorting his body grotesquely, as if he were performing a cursed circus acrobatics show.txmTA
ckQyrThen, his head turned 360 degrees. The guard moved forward with creaking steps, swinging his arms and legs like rusty hinges.4bKs5KF
UxbmgPOne step, two steps. His pace quickened until, all of a sudden, he sprinted at full speed toward me.9pVL6
cP94‘What do I do…?’S1vETeq
D76k2wMy mind went blank.H1T52p
Yb25JKI had never felt such overwhelming fear. Even so, the desperate will to survive made my legs move.djx
IHJ1zZX“Get back!”YpfpeK
R7SI grabbed the first chair I found and gripped it tightly. I aimed straight at the guard’s neck as he charged and struck him with it.cFbU8
DUIaZRBang!JQU
qHhxA loud, solid thud echoed through the classroom. A blow like that should knock anyone unconscious, or at least injure them badly. But not him.tR5Z
Ls5PkcuHe didn’t even flinch or fall.kzHMwL
PAuLThe guard froze mid-run, eyes locked on me.8K3KM
Ns0Cgp“Be-hella!”rtyw864
Xv1KI struck him again with the chair, this time straight to the head.sPmkM
VhWGame over.QZBV
DDkeA blow worthy of a twelve-week medical leave. But something felt off.Hjkpl
ephDThe impact wasn’t like hitting a human skull. It felt more like hitting a block of metal.b4Z293R
Hv8essIAnd then—crack—the chair broke.loxZG
v2NAeEUIt wasn’t his head that broke, but the chair and my sanity.VwX5K
UbgGame over.8I86jn
DbQR“Damn…”lbxMT
DqwSpNhI tossed aside the shattered remains of the chair and ran without looking back. Soon, I heard the pounding footsteps behind me.C1COH
RLVThe guard was right on my heels. At this rate, he’d catch me. I weaved between desks, zigzagging to avoid capture.8lL
cXEBut the guard didn’t care about obstacles. He bulldozed through the desks effortlessly as he chased me.TSyUPVN
znDRThere was only one way out. The front door. But from where I was, the distance was too great. He’d catch me before I made it.ek3
fCjue‘Over there!’9DjEZE7
YNikI looked for another escape route. I grabbed a random chair and threw it at the window.iPZ
9jxHqIIf it was locked, I’d smash the glass and jump out.U95b9F
FJCThud!OGC5z
eUsThe chair flew in an arc and bounced off the glass with a loud clunk. I couldn’t believe it. The window didn’t even have a scratch. This damn school had bulletproof windows.vtRRDu
nDpJtXe‘Shit…’Rsp8gAP
DfQoI stared helplessly at the absurdly sturdy glass. By the time I realized it, the guard was right behind me. At that moment, time seemed to slow down.vI8
PLEjSFear chilled me to the bone.7Qt
GMUAcHkEven as I kept messing up, my will to live pushed me to run like crazy. I stepped onto a chair for a boost and jumped onto the desks, sprinting across them in long strides.HqSP
oJCPZApparently, the guard didn’t expect that because he hesitated, and I escaped.HwSu
hE6AGP‘It worked!’327QMxQ
rLZQLI sprinted toward the front door, still open. This was my only chance.x0H
cfnHHII pushed my barely responsive legs and kept running. I leapt from desk to desk and reached the door in seconds.kODNnbh
Wd7l“Almost there!”s4dBE
n2zJust one more step and I’d be out of the classroom.uy0FaB
ax1t2Crack.yqtk9
NU5My left foot landed on the threshold. A sharp pain shot through my toes.h3HvTa
RAT‘Wait…’Ih8
64lI realized something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the classroom.vw8rRT9
4uyMy mind screamed for me to stop, but my legs, completely out of control, kept going. And the moment I crossed the line, I knew. I had stepped over a threshold with no return.lUS
IfbKpMy toes began turning red, as if about to explode. The backed-up blood surged and spread through the rest of my body.1Us
c2xG2krLike red threads across my skin, the veins swelled and covered my entire body. A searing, stabbing pain consumed me.I6D9
tVKaQEI lost my balance and fell. I couldn’t feel my legs. The lower half of my body was mangled, unrecognizable. Blood splattered everywhere. A red puddle soaked my legs. It was a repulsive feeling.oQi
5N06E0I couldn’t even tell if what I felt was urine or blood. I crawled along the hallway floor, dragging myself pathetically. My legs were no longer legs. Just bits of meat hanging between broken bones.MTaTez
cYzfhxThey were no longer limbs. At best, I could crawl.4VY8v
jhNAyMTears welled up in my eyes—not from sadness or helplessness, but from pain.mTIWjGG
xfdeEIt was too late to go back into the classroom. The veins in my torso started turning red too, spreading across my body.FcM
17QEkXIt looked like I was wrapped in red threads. The swollen veins tore at my skin as the burning pain overtook me.RucVb65
Wpi917YMy consciousness began to fade. I could do nothing but helplessly witness that horrific scene.765Kqe
5ZG[Escape the classroom within the time limit.]HNUpbJ
0bSz[Penalty for failure: Death]ExZnQE
dQ04NuIt wasn’t just about leaving the classroom. If I truly wanted to live, I had to escape within the time limit, just like the message said.Ks0
sHCLQNBut I didn’t.lVlx
AngHqI underestimated the timer that warned of danger. And this was the result.fyOZvd3
biPw5XC“Hhh…”wiz9
WUtD5nMy throat burned as if set ablaze. The pain cut off my breath, and my head spun.MSWO
RIRXThump.saOGb
e3wDqBSuddenly, I felt the nerves inside me snap, and my consciousness faded.MpH
1JmDZ[You have died.]AMuP
rZB[Restarting from checkpoint.]keLB5
fIg3MP***lj1P
Oxgx23I slowly opened my eyes.SpG2OZ3
OjwmFzI recognized the scene instantly.rDa
MmXUThe classroom was dead silent. The school, in the middle of the night, had not a single source of light.XjLYxq
w9ft“…”IwoL
r1zywPnI sat there stunned, as if my soul had left my body. The previous scene was still vivid in my mind.0bL6
bwc‘Was it a dream?’ZqQ
AfsrEIWhile I remained paralyzed by confusion, something on the desk caught my attention.MWol
ahCaSA notebook. Lying open right there, with a number written with no context:33irx
u92GwHH[00:00]FTITG
jrXnThe sight of it sent chills down my spine. A chilling déjà vu swept over me.hZ1fted
LCNEI immediately looked at the clock. To my surprise, it was exactly midnight. The same time I had woken up just moments ago.ley
cJ2lZtfAnd then, once again, a floating message appeared in the air.6aG
Wi9h24Flashh5W3
fTdgL[Starting tutorial.]DwD1e5
W3xGOB[Escape the classroom within the time limit.]XmP
3TLpnK[Time remaining: 9:59]Bs2tRS
9SgJ[Reward: Status window]u6vFfgM
H1GfNV[Penalty for failure: Death]iwVWkE
D2Y1…No way.mSEQY2
OhRMy tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I couldn’t speak.txP5sjK
MuI[9:48]Vp8uALS
Iar86qgEven though I hadn’t said a word, the timer began counting down mercilessly. I stood frozen as the numbers ticked down.7Kg
sorZ4My mind was in chaos.h3S
30ed3mWhat would happen if I let the time run out? Would I relive that nightmare again?dqv
v2WlKI swallowed hard and looked down. Thankfully, my body was still intact. Both legs were in place. But deep down, I knew it was only a matter of time.GXXsRQ
pS65bIf I just sat there, I’d end up the same as before—dragging myself across the floor.jQocr
hdEQ6If I wanted to live, I had to get out of this damn classroom within ten minutes.49dcOT
KLBy[9:32]jjw
fhEh09Exactly 9 minutes and 32 seconds.OgC
LBMu6gUWith that in mind, I got up, panting, and frantically searched the classroom.pX6qR
H97Everything looked the same as before. The position of the lockers, the arrangement of the desks—it all matched perfectly.jlI0W
9QrEven the locked doors and the red locker were exactly the same.MqqGD
xsg8u‘…Nothing’s really changed.’4xNi
uFszkMaybe I had missed something earlier by rushing. This time, knowing my life was on the line, I examined the room with sharp eyes.Wy4
1w8zI went to the nearest desk and checked for anything hidden.Wt2
F2GE[Empty desk.]pXqrQ
iKicbA message popped up out of nowhere. As if narrating the situation for me.eEvmbHU
zEZ‘What is this, RPG Maker…?’EOJby8
PZjQSuch an absurd scene. I sighed silently and continued searching. Then, something shimmered between the desks. It was a piece of paper.9ZK
jpf2aA torn notebook page, caught between a desk’s legs. And on top of that, it gave off a faint glow. When I tried to touch it, the glow vanished.eCZy
B9uCTiK[You have obtained a note.]urF
8T0Another message appeared.fgbXV
CKhJust like when you get an item in RPG Maker. And if it worked like in the game…9DBhFsQ
V6d“Inventory.”JaaXq
6Iq1I whispered, swallowing my embarrassment. Then, a large window floated in the air.ThaKlb3
P54tEDg[Items in possession]mFBysg
smvYMNoteMwRcaE
soh0lxHWow. It actually worked.q4IPNPp
DRMv3There was the newly obtained note. That confirmed it—it wasn’t just some trash, but something important.kts8
S5poKLg‘Now, how do I read this…?’tlrgrLv
9J47sI mimicked the motion of clicking in the air, and a detailed description popped up.WcZk
4uu8lU[Note]HNRgMj
qB3Jz【Note found under a desk. It’s crumpled and torn. Seems to be a hastily written message.】7oIj
0pJejA hastily written message? Definitely not something to ignore. Just from a glance, I could tell it was important. It had to be a clue to escape.OKUx
UFEd7Just as I tried to unfold it, another message appeared.lqtTQ
52AH[Would you like to use the note?]SISE
GXHNhThis really felt just like RPG Maker. Even the interactions were the same.2TFwuZY
hGpWhen I clicked “Yes,” I heard the sound of paper unfolding and the contents appeared:oFf
EB6bmu6– 0134TceZ1
ES2pdxTThe numbers were written in a rushed, messy scrawl.x9Pl5
WZ5cXGnIf it had been digits like 2 or 5, I might not have been able to tell what they were. Thankfully, they were clear ones like 0 and 1. The fact that it was four digits was also key.7mdW
nFDFBl‘Wait a minute… a code?’rL2p
BzqBS1The four-digit number instantly made me think of a passcode. This kind of password puzzle is a classic in RPG Maker games.PgoIKd5
NaPeXA four-digit number hidden among clues, entered into a keypad to unlock something.2EA
el8yIt’s a common mechanic in those games, no matter the era or country. So there was no doubt—those four digits were a password.0ds2LN
OjURlIS‘But for what?’NQ4zDbF
hSXThe red locker didn’t use a keypad; it had a lock and key. That only left one option.roEPM
PsLMThe lock on the back door of the classroom.5EBsF
jmw[Enter password.]WM1I4
NXOI headed to the back door, hoping it would work.4Bxz9tm
Auup“Come on… please…”4bYnMqh
9OQDQI entered the numbers exactly as they appeared on the note.00P
zv5sAYes, it was a bit obvious, but I didn’t care.TUC
OGONqfBadly made games often had these kinds of things. Absurdly long maps or unsolvable puzzles.ybYy
ummLKgsCompared to that, this puzzle was something even a five-year-old could figure out. Very much in line with the genre.GaVWnBD
2vIfSo I placed all my hopes on this final chance.B7Qx
Mt6That the creator of this real-life RPG Maker was a moron incapable of designing a good puzzle.RbIw0
bCv[0134]qmGb3
dpjTI entered the code into the lock and gently pulled on it.gIM
TpGXClack.eimjzDR
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